


Got My Money & I'm Feeling Kinda Low

by occultclysms



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Car Chases, Inappropriate Use of Stoves, M/M, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Music Video: Lotto (EXO), Robbery, Superpowers, Swimming Pools, X-EXO Clones (EXO), attempted drowning, jongin wins the lottery and then shit happens, like kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:15:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24503734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/occultclysms/pseuds/occultclysms
Summary: Jongin thought that winning the lottery was a dream come true, but what he didn't expect was all that chaos that ensued. Cue wild car chases, near-death experiences, and one mysterious man who always ends up saving him.CK2.041- This was written for the second round of ChanKai Fest [2020]
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58
Collections: ChanKai Fest : Round 2





	Got My Money & I'm Feeling Kinda Low

**Author's Note:**

> tyvm to jayden for betaing all of this for me I love you lots! also thanks to mel, for being very supportive through the whole writing process. i hope all of you enjoy this fic as much as I had fun writing it

Jongin pushes the front door of his favorite donut shop open, the bell clinging loudly. He walks up to the counter and looks at the array of donuts. Today is a sprinkle donut today. Someone is already being served, so Jongin looks around the room to kill time. The lottery machine sits next to the counter, and Jongin can't help but be tempted by it. Jongin isn't big on gambling anymore, but the occasional lotto ticket here and there is fun. And who's to say today isn't his lucky day?

Sticking money in the machine makes Jongin remember why gambling isn't good for him. First, it's five dollars; then it's ten, then Jongin has no apartment. But right now, this is okay. The card pops out of the machine, and Jongin stands next to the man at the counter. The server is gone, probably off to grab coffee for him.

Jongin hesitates before writing any numbers down. What numbers seem the luckiest to him today? His birthday isn't super lucky, and that's an obvious one.

"Struggling to pick numbers?" The man asks, and Jongin looks over at him. The first thing Jongin notices is that one eye is blue, and one eye is brown, and while that's certainly surprising, Jongin isn't the type to judge. Who knows how that could have happened? Whatever, it doesn't matter.

"Yeah, all my numbers are unlucky if I'm honest," Jongin says. "Got some suggestions?"

"I've always said luck is in the eye of the beholder. What you might see as something terrible could be an opportunity to the right person," the stranger says. Jongin doesn't agree, but whatever. "Try these: 1, 4, 61, 21, 88, and 94."

"Any particular meaning behind the numbers?" Jongin asks.

"Special numbers for my associates." The stranger shrugs, and Jongin glances around, looking for a server so he can get his donut and leave. This guy is rubbing Jongin all kinds of wrong ways, but it's okay. Sometimes weird things just happen in life, and that's okay.

* * *

A week later, it's time for the winning lotto numbers to be announced. Jongin switches the channel and grabs his ticket off the mantel. There's no way Jongin is gonna win, but the adrenaline shooting through him doesn't seem to agree with that.

The first number is 1, which is Jongin's number. He doesn't get any hopes up as he's sometimes had three numbers at most, but then they don't match. The second number is 4. Huh, maybe Jongin will actually get close this time.

Jongin watches the TV with laser focus; the third number is 61, and Jongin is on the edge of his seat. There's no way in hell the next number will be 21. It's not possible. 21 comes up. Jongin's hopes are soaring, and he  _ knows _ this is how he'll become addicted to the lottery, constantly chasing this feeling of excitement and adrenaline.

The fifth number is 88 and Jongin is about to cry, he's so overwhelmed with feelings. Everything is becoming a lot, but he's not gonna win. This is his peak. Jongin can barely watch when the sixth number is called; 94. Jongin drops his lottery ticket and stares at the TV. The winning numbers stare back at him, and Jongin doesn't know what to do. He has no feelings but is also feeling every feeling at once.

Jongin won the lottery.

He just won millions and millions of dollars. Sure, there's like a 30% tax on it, but that's still so much money— he could fill his entire apartment with hundred dollar bills and still have more money. That's so much money, Jongin can't even wrap his head around it.

_ "The jackpot for this Mega Millions draw is the highest in history, so if there are any lucky winners, be sure to collect your money quickly." _ Fuck. How does someone even collect that much money? Time to do some research, so Jongin isn't stabbed for his lotto ticket. At least Jongin lives alone and isn't super close to his family. That knocks out the obvious ones, but... the stranger at the donut shop. Jongin played with his lucky numbers. With any luck, the stranger also played those numbers again, and Jongin can just split the jackpot 50/50. But Jongin might have used up the last bit of his luck with the ticket.

* * *

In the past three weeks, Jongin has spent more money than he has ever made in his life. Conceptually, Jongin can't really wrap his head around it. But it doesn't really matter because Jongin is set for the rest of his life. He is certainly spending his money generously, but he has set aside 60% of it for the future, so he can't fuck himself up too much. He basically put parental controls on his money just in case.

But Jongin is making good on new stupid rich people things he always wanted to try. As a kid, he hated the YMCA and swimming for school (for equally valid but different reasons), so he wanted to try swimming at a country club's pool. Jongin loves to swim, but the bad experiences have made him a bit more wary of swimming in public areas.

School sucked because people would steal each other's stuff and put them outside. Meaning if you didn't have a backup set of clothes, you would be stuck walking around outside the pool area in your swimsuit. Quite embarrassing in Jongin's opinion. So he always would have an extra set of clothes in his backpack, set away from his clothes, so people wouldn't take them. Call him paranoid, but he never had to walk around in only swim shorts in public. The YMCA is another story, though.

Honestly, the boys at the YMCA can go fuck themselves. And for good reasons. Jongin went there as a teen as an alternative to the school pool for reasons stated previously. Jongin didn't think the people there would be as annoying as high schoolers because it's a public gym. But Jongin was wrong. He has no clue what he did wrong, but one day when he got out of the pool, he saw his own stuff floating two lanes over. Which led to the embarrassing incident of walking to the front desk in a speedo (Jongin is an adult who is proud of his body, leave him alone) and asking for a spare robe or something.

Flash forward to now, Jongin doesn't completely trust the people at the country club, so there are backup clothes and a waterproof bag in his car waiting for him just in case.

Jongin walks through the doors of the country club and can't help but notice several men  _ and _ women's heads turn as he passes them by. A small ego boost for Jongin, but none of them matter at the moment. All he wants to do is swim in a ridiculously fancy pool for an hour and then maybe treat himself to a margarita. The money hasn't gone completely to his head after all.

Walking into the men's locker room, Jongin is surprised by how separate everything is. He doesn't see anyone in this room but can hear voices closer to the pool entrance. Jongin picks a locker and sticks his stuff in it but leaves his speedo on the bench.

Jongin strips down quickly, almost bouncing with excitement about finally getting in the pool. His speedo is on in no time, and Jongin is sure to lock his locker, then walk the rest of the way through the locker room.

When Jongin had been given the tour of the country club, they pointed out that he didn't need to bring towels with him because the club would provide him with one. Similar set up to the YMCA, but these ones are apparently embroidered with the country club's logo. Rich people. Though Jongin technically is one of those now, he doesn't feel as snobby as them. More just using his money without as much worry as he did before. Instead of worrying about paying rent if he splurges on video games, he can buy as many as he wants. He also bought all kinds of unnecessary things just because it's something he wanted, and along with a fancy-ass apartment, some investments and donations, Jongin has spent a literal fortune already. Enough self-reflecting on monetary choices; time to swim.

"Excuse me, sir?" Someone says, breaking Jongin's train of thought. Oh, it's the towel boy. Is that what you call them? Towel men? Jongin has no clue, but whatever.

"Yes?" Jongin asks, slightly worried he's doing something wrong already.

"I haven't seen you around before and just wanted to tell you that when you walk back through after your swim, this is where you get your towel," they say. "I'm Suho, by the way."

"Oh, thank you, Suho," Jongin replies. He walks over to the edge of the pool, letting his toes dip into the water. This will be perfect. The pool room is huge, with glass windows around the edge that look out over the golf courses. Jongin hops into an empty lane, surprised by how few people are in the pool, but whatever, better for him.

Jongin swims through several laps with no issues at all. He's gliding through the water and having an absolute blast, thankfully he hadn't somehow forgotten how to swim. Then when he's in the deeper part of the pool in his fifth lap, something feels wrong. He can move, but it's like swimming through concrete. He glances around to see if anyone is around, but somehow there's no one else in the pool anymore. Before he can pull himself out of the pool, the water shoves him back down. Is this pool trying to drown him? Because this isn't Jongin being bad at swimming, there are some clear ill intentions here.

Jongin wriggles in the water, unable to take a breath in and break free. The water has him in an iron grip, which Jongin didn't even think was possible for water. It's a fucking liquid, this goes against all science. His lungs burn, so with one last push, Jongin shoves back against the water and somehow breaks free. He grabs the edge of the pool and practically throws himself onto the pool deck.

Looking around for the exit, Jongin spots Suho walking towards him from the opposite end of the pool, and something rubs Jongin the wrong way about it. The whole room is empty, except for the two of them. Jongin power walks away from Suho walking around the edge of the pool, and Suho follows him without saying a word.

Then Jongin nearly sprints into the men's locker room. It's fucking empty, and Jongin knows better than to stop by his locker and heads right on out and starts carefully going down the stairs because he is wet, and that's an easy way to break his neck.

Jongin reaches the lobby, no problem. Once again, he's eyed by all the people around, but this time because he's half-naked and waddling quickly to the door. Yeah, Jongin is never stepping foot in here again. He checks over his shoulder and doesn't see Suho, so Jongin feels comfortable running through the parking lot over to his car.

Why did he buy a Lamborghini again? Jongin has to change, but can't feasibly do it here. Welp, he has no other option, really. Grabbing his extra clothes, Jongin puts the shirt on first since he's already topless. Jongin isn't the type to pray, but he shoots a quick one-off to Saint Mary, just in case.

Jongin slips his speedo off and wishes his shirt was longer. He makes the mistake of looking around and sees a guy in too much black leather with bright ass pink hair and hopes that everything is covered. He throws on his boxers then chances another glance at the guy. He's walking towards Jongin.

What the fuck?

This is  _ not _ what Jongin wanted to do today. He's never fucking going swimming ever again. Fuck pants. That guy is now walking faster towards Jongin, and he doesn't have time for another almost murder today. He hops in his car and drives as fast as he dares back home.

* * *

Today has been so stressful with what happened at the country club. Jongin didn't even get to swim, and he has to call and cancel his credit cards that were in his locker, along with his phone bill. But that can wait until tomorrow.

All Jongin wants to do now is lay down on his several thousand dollar couch and binge some trashy television. His living room is decked out in shades of blue and green with a few plants here and there. Jongin honestly loves what the interior designer did to the place.

Jongin is three hours into the real housewives of Atlanta and halfway through a gallon of strawberry ice cream when he hears a small thump. Almost like there's a rock being thrown against his windows. But this isn't  _ Say Anything, _ and Jongin lives in a penthouse. He casts a glance at the wall of windows that lead to his balcony and doesn't like the sinking feeling in his gut.

There's nothing out there that Jongin can see with his eyes, but that doesn't change the fact that his gut tells him something is out there. Jongin is just paranoid because of earlier, there's no way anyone is out there. Jongin puts his attention back on the TV and his slowly dwindling amount of ice cream.

Jongin is finally feeling more relaxed when he feels cool metal against the back of his neck. He freezes, spoon in mouth.

"Put your hands up slowly," the voice says, and Jongin is about to start crying. He should have called 911 instead of setting aside his fear. If Jongin makes his way through this night, he's going to buy the fanciest fucking security system ever because this is not fun at all. Jongin does what the robber asks and holds the spoon in his mouth. The metal moves away from Jongin's neck, and the robber comes to stand in front of Jongin, blocking the TV screen, which is still blasting the trashy drama that is Real Housewives.

The robber doesn't cover any part of his face, which is illogical, but also a source of distraction for Jongin. His hair is white and falls over one eye with a feather in his hair and a thin metal chain resting across his nose and cheekbones with blue eyes. All of this is topped off by a black PVC jacket and a sheer, patterned turtleneck.

"I'm going to take all of your valuables, and you're not going to move." The robber doesn't seem super certain about what he's doing, and Jongin is about to fucking lose it. Only he would be robbed by someone who doesn't even know what to steal. Jongin doesn't move and lets the robber walk around his apartment. If Jongin had his cell phone, he could call for help or something. Why did he let himself be convinced that home phones are pointless? This is some sick joke.

Jongin's window shatters, and he turns his attention to it, seeing the guy from the parking lot earlier. This really  _ is _ some kind of sick joke. The robber panics and fumbles for his gun, and the other guy shoots fire out of his palm, which melts the gun.

"Jongin, you need to get out of here." Jongin doesn't really want to listen to someone who just broke through his window, but he has a point. The robber drops the gun and grabs the thing closest to him, which just so happens to be Jongin's favorite plant. He throws the plant at Jongin, who somehow isn't hit by it.

"I fucking knew it!" The robber exclaims right before being tackled to the ground by the other guy. Jongin hates not knowing people's names, this is ridiculous. But, whatever, he's leaving and never seeing either of these guys again.

Jongin runs around the two of them fighting on his floor and grabs his car keys off the counter before going as fast down the stairs as he can. He's not risking it and waiting for the elevator, but he reaches the basement floor quickly. He's out of breath and heaving as he unlocks his car. He doesn't even know where he's going, but he has to be anywhere but here.

* * *

Jongin opens the driver's side door and is about to jump in, but there's a hand on his shoulder, and Jongin screams and lurches away from the stranger, only to see that it's the pink-haired guy from earlier.

"What the fuck?" Jongin pants. "Get away from me, I'm so over this freaky shit today."

"Hand over your keys," the guy demands, and Jongin is two seconds away from punching him in the nose. "Now. Baekhyun is nearly down here, and I can drive faster than you." Okay, so Baekhyun is scarier than this guy, so Jongin hops into the passenger seat instead.

"I expect some answers if you're driving," Jongin says. "This is the craziest fucking day of my life." The guy ignores Jongin and hits the gas, shooting the two of them out of the parking garage right as Jongin hears Baekhyun yell after them,

Once they are on the open road, definitely speeding, the guy glancing over at Jongin and says, "Do you have any idea of what's going on?"

"No!" Jongin screeches. "I have no clue who you are, who Baekhyun is, why I was almost drowned by water, which makes no sense, but I'm just overall fucking lost."

"Okay, so I'm Chanyeol, a former member of X-EXO, a mafia ring—"

"The mafia is after me?" Jongin is practically hysterical and very close to jumping out of the fucking car because he is over this shit.

"Yeah, because you used Jongdae, the leader's lottery numbers," Chanyeol explains, and Jongin screams. This is the worst and all because he used someone else's lottery numbers, which they fucking gave him. "The towel boy at the country club is Junmyeon—"

"He said his name was Suho."

"Do you really think anyone in the mafia would use their real name?" Chanyeol counters, and maybe he has a point.

"Okay, so his real name is Junmyeon, that doesn't explain the water incident," Jongin says.

"All of the members have powers, and that's how they are chosen, and you meet due to some weird fate thing," Chanyeol says. "I have the power of controlling fire, Junmyeon controls water, Baekhyun controls light which means like nothing unless used with another power as well, and Jongdae has the power of electricity."

"Are you saying that I..." Jongin trails off. There's no way he has powers. It wouldn't even make sense.

"Yeah, you do. When Baekhyun threw that plant at you, you teleported," Chanyeol says. "And while this catch up has been amazing, there's one person I didn't mention, and they are right behind us." Jongin glances in the side mirror, and indeed, there's a dark purple and black sports car behind them.

"Well, drive faster," Jongin suggests.

"I'm already going ninety, and we are on surface streets. Did you miss all of the cars that have been honking at us?"

"Yes, you just told me I have superpowers, and I'm being hunted by the mafia, you should be grateful I didn't pass out from shock. That's apparently a thing, and I think I'm the type to do that."

"This is ridiculous," Chanyeol mutters. "Sehun hasn't even done anything yet."

"Sehun is the guy behind us, I assume," Jongin says. "What's his power?"

"Wind." Right as Chanyeol says that a gust of wind shifts the car over several feet.

"I don't like this."

"I don't either. I'll try to lose him, though." Chanyeol steps on the gas, propelling them to a hundred and ten, then pulls the sharpest turn Jongin has experienced in his young life. Sehun is out of sight for a moment, and Chanyeol pulls another turn out of nowhere, and there's no sign of Sehun for several more turns until another gust of wind causes the car to make a complete 180.

Chanyeol hits the breaks, and they find themselves face to face with Sehun in his car. Sehun reves his engine, and Chanyeol sighs.

"Ready, Jongin?" Chanyeol asks, and before Jongin can say that he most definitely isn't ready, Chanyeol switches to reverse and starts driving just as crazy down the streets, but this time backward. They haven't even gone five city blocks when Chanyeol flips the car right back around. Even people with superpowers can't drive backward for that long.

Another huge gust of wind has two of the wheels lifting up off the ground a bit, and Chanyeol frowns while Jongin thinks he might throw up. Chanyeol makes a sharp turn onto an alley and cuts through back to the main streets.

Chanyeol slams on the breaks, and there's still no Sehun behind them. Jongin is confused until Chanyeol asks, "Have you ever jumped out of a moving vehicle before?" Jongin's throat goes dry, and he sighs. Tonight really can't get any worse.

"No?" Jongin's voice is two octaves too high, but Chanyeol doesn't seem to care at all.

"First time for everything, Nini. Now on my count—" So much to unpack here oh god. First off, the pet name and the fact that Chanyeol thinks Jongin can just jump out of cars whenever he feels like it is something that needs to be dealt with later.

"Can we please talk about this?" Jongin pleads. "I have never jumped out of a car before, and now is really not the night I want to try it."

"It's this or Sehun flipping the car over with the fucking wind," Chanyeol says, and Jongin sighs. With one hand, Chanyeol undoes his seatbelt, and Jongin swallows hard. He really has to jump out of a moving car to save his life. Add this to the ever-growing list of things that no one would believe if Jongin told them.

Jongin undoes his seatbelt and looks to Chanyeol for some form of guidance.

"How do I get out? I feel like there's some technique to it," Jongin says, pulling on his fingers to try and calm his anxiety.

"You need to jump and roll," Chanyeol replies. "Sehun is going to catch up with us very soon, so I can only slow the car down to twenty miles an hour. You jump first since you're in the passenger seat, then I'll jump and make sure the car doesn't hit either of us."

"Oh, god."

"You can do it, don't worry. If you do a good job, I'll give you a kiss if you'd like." Jongin chokes on his spit and looks at Chanyeol, who is unphased.

"Fuck my life," are the last words Jongin says before swinging his door open and jumping out of the car. He catches himself and rolls for a few feet. The concrete presses into Jongin's skin, and he grits his teeth to ignore the pain. He jumps off the ground even though his body hurts and looks around for Chanyeol. His car has crashed into a building fifty feet away, and Jongin isn't a hundred percent sure, but the car might explode, and that would be really bad for Chanyeol if he's over there.

"Chanyeol," Jongin calls, trying to keep his distance from the car. Sehun comes speeding around the corner, sees the mess, and slams on his breaks. Jongin catches sight of Chanyeol's neon pink hair in between two buildings and races over to him. Jongin hears Sehun's door slam and runs harder.

"Follow me," is all Chanyeol says before he's sprinting down the alley while Jongin struggles to keep up. They make their way out of the alley and then are racing across traffic into another one, but this one is full of people and late-night restaurants. They are almost at the end when a huge surge of wind knocks over a dumpster, essentially blocking their path.

People scream and start trying to move away, so Chanyeol grabs Jongin's hand and pulls them into the nearest restaurant. There are people sitting at nearly every table, and they work to sidestep all of them, and they are near the kitchen when Sehun barges in.

"Stop right there," Sehun commands, and Chanyeol ignores it, pulling Jongin into the kitchen where all the staff are rightly confused about why there are two random people in their kitchen. They weave through people who are all holding either sharp objects or stacks of plates, and Jongin really doesn't want to bump into any of them.

The stove makes a strange sound, and Jongin pulls Chanyeol back on instinct, and then the stove's flames erupt.

"Well, well, well, funny to see you here, Chanyeol," Jongdae says, Jongin's mouth going dry as he recognizes him from the donut shop. Any remaining doubts Jongin has about Chanyeol all go out the window. "Kitchen staff, get out. This might get messy." The staff doesn't need to be told twice. They all drop their stuff, and Sehun lets them out, which leaves Chanyeol and Jongin cornered by Sehun and Jongdae. "I can't believe you're trying to save poor Jonginie here."

"Dude, you gave me your numbers, I didn't really think I would win," Jongin whines.

"You took the wrong guy's numbers then," Jongdae replies. "Because I deserve that money way more than you do."

"It's all luck, just fuck off," Jongin yells. He doesn't know where this anger is coming from, but having his life threatened like four times in one day has made him bitter.

"No can do," Jongdae says, and he smiles, causing a shiver to run down Jongin's spine. "I will make you pay. Chanyeol as well. If it wasn't for him, Baekhyun might have been able to actually accomplish his mission, but no. I mean, Baekhyun is kinda useless, I don't know what I was thinking, trusting him with anything." Jongdae is still talking, but Chanyeol makes some strange move with his hands, and suddenly the stove's flames burst out and land on Jongdae, who screams in pain. The sound is awful and won't be leaving Jongin's brain anytime soon, but he's much more concerned with the way the fire is spreading across the floor and up the walls.

Sehun runs up to try and help Jongdae, and Chanyeol takes that chance to run through the fire and start towards the exit.

"Jongin, you have to teleport to the other side!" Chanyeol yells. "You can do it."

"What?" Jongin is trapped on one side of a full-on fire, and Chanyeol wants him to get to the other side somehow. Well, today can't become any weirder. Jongin takes a breath, glances over at Sehun and Jongdae who are still tending to Jongdae's injuries, and concentrates. Jongin has no clue how he teleported before, only that he's done it at least once. So, he imagines himself next to Chanyeol, five feet away, and crosses his fingers. There's a strange pull in his gut, and then he's next to Chanyeol.

"Wow," Chanyeol says, and Jongdae looks up, tries to shoot electricity at Chanyeol but misses due to the state of his arm. Chanyeol grabs Jongin, and they start running out of the kitchen. They slow down in front of a subway station, and they walk down the stairs together, still holding hands.

They wait for the subway together in silence, and Jongin is hit with a wave of exhaustion from the day. Getting on the subway is easy enough, and Jongin half expects Jongdae and Sehun to come and attack the subway.

"We never finished our conversation from earlier," Jongin says, yawning.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Chanyeol asks. "You're one of the good guys now."

"How many people with powers are there?"

"That's a more complicated question than you think it is," Chanyeol says. "There's the four you met, me, you and then six others. But we haven't found the six others yet. Jongdae has this map, and it tells hints about how to find each of them. He must have found you on accident, but I don't really know. I quit the mafia several months ago after Jongdae wanted me to kill someone. I don't fuck with murder, so I left."

"Wow. That's a lot to take in at once," Jongin replies. "So, have you been looking for the rest as well?"

"Yeah, I have a lead about finding the one with healing powers. Other than that, I have no clue about how to find the rest," Chanyeol says.

"This is off-topic, but thank you for saving my life like four times." Jongin rests his head against the subway wall and looks at Chanyeol through the corner of his eye.

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do for someone like me," Chanyeol replies.

"Anything I should do to repay the favor? I am literally a millionaire." Jongin chuckles. Conceptually he can't really believe he's a millionaire, but he is, so he might as well use his money in a good way.

"Yeah, take me out to dinner somewhere," Chanyeol says. "I could use a solid meal after all this running." They both laugh and shake on it, to dinner.

* * *

Jongin is pleasantly surprised that Chanyeol wasn't kidding about going out somewhere. He would have wanted to pay Chanyeol back somehow no matter what. For the past few days, Jongin has been crashing at Chanyeol's place while they look for an apartment that's secure enough for Jongin to live in, just in case, X-EXO tries something again.

Just because Jongin can, he picked the nicest restaurant in the city and bought suits for the two of them to wear out. Chanyeol didn't really want to dress like a normal person, but Jongin asking enough times got him to agree to go with him.

"Chanyeol, our reservations are for 6, and it's already 5:47," Jongin calls. "I literally took all your measurements twice, what's taking you so long?"

"I don't know how to tie a tie," Chanyeol whines. Jongin walks back into Chanyeol's bedroom to see Chanyeol fumbling with his bowtie.

"Okay, let me help you then," Jongin says. He brings his hands up to Chanyeol's bow tie and ties it quickly. "This is one of those weird skills I have, so don't worry about not knowing how to do it." Chanyeol blushes and mumbles a thank you. "We have to go, though, and I still don't have another car."

"I own a car," Chanyeol says. "It's not nearly as cool as yours, but it's functional."

"That's what really matters after all," Jongin replies. "Lead the way, Chanyeol." The pair walk through the apartment, and Chanyeol grabs his keys. Jongin walks ahead of Chanyeol to the elevator while Chanyeol locks his apartment. While he's waiting for Chanyeol, Jongin straightens his tie and presses the down button.

Chanyeol pops up next to him, and they board the elevator together in silence. Jongin stands up straight while Chanyeol rests his back against the wall.

"So, tell me about the place we are going to," Chanyeol says. "You said it was fancy, but like how fancy. I know we are in suits, but are we going to walk in there and still look underdressed even like this?"

"Oh no, don't worry," Jongin replies. "It's not too far from here, and I'm sure you'll love it. Like I'd bet a new car that it's all great."

"I won't take that deal because that's how I end up jinxing dinner and hating everything." Jongin laughs, and Chanyeol cracks a smile. The elevator pings open, and the duo walked out with Chanyeol leading the way to his old, beat-up car. Jongin hops in no problem, and Chanyeol pulls them out of the parking garage, no problem.

Chanyeol plays some old My Chemical Romance, and the two of them rock out while Jongin gives directions to their restaurant. They stop in front of The Old Haunt, one of the nicest restaurants in town and the valet in front doesn't look too happy about having to park Chanyeol's car, but doesn't say anything when Jongin tips him an extra five bucks.

They walk into The Old Haunt arm and arm, and Jongin stops in front of the podium and waits for the server to finish whatever they are doing.

"How may I help you, sir?"

"Hello, I have a reservation for 6 pm under the name Jongin Kim."

"Right this way." They guide Jongin and Chanyeol to a nice table, and they sit on either side of it. Jongin can see the door from his spot and is glancing around when he spots a familiar head of red hair enter the restaurant. Jongin slides under the table and pulls Chanyeol down with him.

"Jongin, what are we doing under here?" Chanyeol whispers. Jongin sighs, being underneath a table wasn't something he had planned for this, but it's necessary.

"I saw Junmyeon walk into the restaurant," Jongin whispers back.

"So we are hiding under a table instead of fighting them," Chanyeol deadpans. "I could toast his ass right now if you let me get up." Jongin didn't realize he has been gripping onto Chanyeol's thighs, but instead of letting go, Jongin glares at Chanyeol.

"We should at least plan first," Jongin says. "I'm going to call the police. All we should do is disarm them and then let the police take them away."

"Great plan, except for the fact that how do you disarm people with superpowers?"

"Make flame bubbles around them?" Chanyeol doesn't reply. Instead, he gets up, and Jongin is about to yell at him, but he likes his plan and busts out his phone instead.

"Hello 911, what's your emergency?"

"I'm at The Old Haunt on 35th and Broadway, and there's a violent fight going on. I'm very scared," Jongin says, trying to sound as scared as he can while also being quiet underneath the table. He hears something crash and winces. That's either really good (it's not Chanyeol) or very bad (it is Chanyeol).

Jongin hangs up the phone and hops out from under the table, scanning his surroundings. Chanyeol had been thrown into the wall, and Junmyeon is standing over him with a bubble of water choking him. Jongdae isn't anywhere to be seen, and Sehun is on the other side of the restaurant walking between the tables. So Jongin takes his chance amongst the chaos and runs to tackle Junmyeon.

Junmyeon is knocked to the ground, and the bubble around Chanyeol falls away. The water is about to come up and choke Jongin, but he's creative and spits on Jumyeon's face, which breaks his concentration long enough for Chanyeol to evaporate the water away. Chanyeol punches Junmyeon in the face with a hot hand and leaves scorch marks along his cheek.

"Fuck you," spits Junmyeon, eyeliner smudged, and red hair messed up.

"Uh, huh, Jongin, do you have some restraints?" Chanyeol asks. Jongin doesn't have anything really on hand except for his tie, so he loosens it and ties Junmyeon's hands together behind his back.

"Kinky," Junmyeon snorts. "You won't be able to keep me here for long. Sehun!" Sehun comes back in the room and sends a burst of wind towards Jongin and Chanyeol, strong enough to knock Chanyeol over, but Jongin is too quick and teleports behind Sehun and shoves him into the ground. Sehun tries to spin over, but Jongin puts his foot into Sehun's back and forces him to stay on the ground.

There's an electric shock to his body and Jongin crumples to the ground. Well, at least they found Jongdae. Always stay positive, Jongin. Jongin hauls his body up to a sitting position and latches on to Jongdae's legs. While not the most conventional way, Jongin yanks Jongdae's pants down and tears them, so Jongdae doesn't blast him with electricity. There's only one person missing—

The lights go out, and Baekhyun says, "Now, no one will see you're duckie underwear, Jongdae." Jongin can hear Jongdae sigh, and Jongin decides to use the dark to his advantage and teleport back over to a table, so he doesn't risk getting seen by an X-EXO member in the middle of all the people running around who have literally nothing to do with what's currently happening.

What to do now? Jongin hears sirens and sees the blue and red lights of police cars shine into the restaurant. Well, make the job for the police easier is what. Jongin would bet a million dollars that the police hadn't run into people like this before. Jongin teleports back over to Jongdae and kicks him over then to Baekhyun and does the same.

The police burst in the door with flashlights, and Jongin holds his hands up. He uses the flashlights to see where Chanyeol is, and he's sitting on top of Baekhyun, so he can't get good enough sight to start messing with the police flashlights.

"Who called the 911 call?" an officer asks.

"I did," Jongin says, and all the flashlights shine onto him. "There are four guys here who attacked my friend and I. We fought back as self-defense."

"Which four?"

"Baekhyun turn the fucking lights back on," Chanyeol hisses.

"I will do no such thing," Baekhyun snorts, and Jongin can hear the sound of Baekhyun being pressed further into the ugly carpeting. "Okay, fine, but I cannot see, so I can't control the light."

"What is he talking about?" The officer asks, and Jongin looks at Chanyeol, unsure of how this is supposed to work. He's not really big on the whole being sent into a lab and experimented on thing.

"No clue," Jongin says. The lights come back on, and Jongin sees Baekhyun laying with his back on the floor, panting. Then everything is frozen. Jongin can't even move his eyes, but he can hear everything that's going on. He also can't breathe, which is terrifying until he realizes he doesn't need to breathe for some reason.

"I can't believe there's more of you," the officer says. "I'm Tao, and I'm like you, except I can't stop time. All of you are frozen, but unlike the regular people all around us, you can hear what I'm saying." Of course, they somehow find another one while trying to arrest X-EXO.

"There's what? Six of you?" Tao says. "I see the light one, one on top of that one, a pretty one, a pantless one, and another two who are tied up." No one replies to correct Tao on any of their names because they can't speak, and Tao seems to realize this. "If I unfreeze just you six, you have to not move, or else I'll refreeze you."

Then Jongin can move again. He quickly teleports over to Tao and away from X-EXO because he's not risking anything at the moment.

"Can one of you identify everyone and their powers," Tao says.

"Yeah, I can," Chanyeol replies. "I'm Chanyeol, and I have the power of fire. Jongin is the one next to you, and he has the power of teleportation. Baekhyun is the one I was stepping on and is now very out of breath. Jongdae has the power of electricity and is the one with no pants on. And Junmyeon has the power of water and is the redhead, and the other one is Sehun."

"I take offense to being known as the other one," Sehun adds on.

"So, what's the issue here?" Tao asks. "You all clearly know each other."

"Let me think," Jongin says. "Oh yeah, THEY ALL TRIED TO KILL ME! Except for Chanyeol."

"Okay, I didn't try to  _ kill _ you," Baekhyun defends.

"You had a gun against my head in my apartment, which you had broken into," Jongin deadpans.

"But are you dead? No," Baekhyun points out, and Chanyeol puts his foot on Baekhyun's chest again as a warning.

"I could turn the power out right now!" Baekhyun protests.

"None of you are going to do anything," Tao declares. "Is what Jongin saying true? If so, why?"

"Jongin stole my lottery numbers and then won the fucking lottery," Jongdae says. "He owes me some of that money."

"That's literally not how anything works at all," Tao replies. "None of you can go around killing people—"

"Or throwing plants at them," Jongin chimes in, and Tao shoots him a quick glare.

"So, what now? Do you want to expose all of your powers and all end up being experimented on because that seems to be the road you're on here," Tao says. "If you all agree to leave quietly, I will handle the details."

Jongin looks to Chanyeol, who nods and takes his foot off of Baekhyun's chest. Chanyeol unties Junmyeon and Sehun's wrists.

"I think we will all rather have the second option," Jongdae says.

"Great, I'll unfreeze time, and Jongin will say the people who were causing problems ran out through the kitchen. Good?" Tao explains, and Jongin nods. Time unfreezes, and the rest of the officers look confused as to why the lights are on.

"They ran out through the kitchen," Jongin whines, trying to sound as distressed as possible. The officers, along with Tao head that way and Jongin's shoulder's sag once they are out of eyesight. Chanyeol comes up to Jongin and wraps his arms around Jongin's waist and kisses him. It's rushed and messy, but something Jongin can't say he doesn't enjoy. He's kissing back when Chanyeol pulls away.

"Oh my god, I should have asked if you're okay with that," Chanyeol gasps, flustered. "I'm sorry I just really wanted to kiss you."

"Don't worry, I liked it," Jongin whispers back, bringing his arms up around Chanyeol's shoulders and connecting their lips again. Baekhyun wolf whistles, and Jongin flips him off. Chanyeol tastes sweet, and Jongin can't get enough.

"I think we should just leave," Junmyeon says. "They don't look like they are going to stop anytime soon."

"Yeah, that would be best," Jongdae replies. Jongin drowns everything else out and focuses back on Chanyeol. He breaks their kiss for a moment to catch his breath. They gaze into each other's eyes and smile. Jongin's life has been turned upside down twice in the last week, but it has all been worth it to get to this moment.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on twt im nice i promise  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/carrotyeol)  
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/carrotyeol)


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